The Infamous Wedding Snapshot
by The Green Pilgrim
Summary: A vaguely humorous tale that explains a few things about the old wedding photo in Harry's album: Where are Remus and Peter and just what is Sirius laughing about?


A/N: Look! An update! Honestly, I've been writing a lot but there was just nothing that seemed postable. Well, not _yet _anybadger. At any rate, I don't know where this came from. I just started wondering, _What is Sirius laughing about in that picture? And how come Remus and Peter aren't in it?_

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything. I wish I owned Remus. Sirius can come too.

NOTE: I took a lot of liberties in the writing of this. (Translation: I made a lot of stuff up, and therefore it could be inaccurate for all I know). Since OotP was the crappiest book ever, I only read it once and therefore may have said something clearly incorrect due to what was said in that book. I don't know when Sirius moved in with the Potters, and I don't know when they became animagi and I don't know how old Jim and Lils were when they got married.

As far as the setting goes… just picture the Potter residence in a quaint rural area with a small church down the street. I didn't feel like making up nonsense for a Wizarding wedding of whimsy and wonder so let's pretend they decided to have a traditional muggle one in compromise to holding it on April 6th. 

ALSO, I don't quite remember the description of the photo so if they specifically weren't at the alter or something… too bad. 

ALSO II, let's pretend Peter isn't evil yet.

Okay, now the actual story can start.

THE INFAMOUS WEDDING SNAPSHOT

Remus studied his reflection with a slight frown. His face was pale and rather sunken looking and enormous bags shadowed his tired tawny eyes. His hair appeared dull and flat, and if he wasn't mistaken a few strands were starting to turn grey. Grey hair at twenty years old! He looked down-right awful. But he wouldn't blame James and Lily. It wasn't their fault the sixth of April was a full moon, and he wasn't about to have some crazy Potter tradition destroyed because of him.

James had explained (in a somewhat exasperated tone) that everyone in his family for generations had gotten married on the sixth of April. The first instance occurred so long ago that no one save James' half-sane great-grandmother had an inkling of its purpose. 

Oh well, what did it matter how he looked? This was James and Lily's day, not his and there was no doubt they'd both look wonderful as usual. Still, he ran his hands over his rented tuxedo in hopes of adjusting it to his somewhat thinner-than-usual frame and turned to head out when the door of Sirius's old bedroom opened to reveal a stricken looking Peter.

"M-Moony?" he said unsurely. 

Remus sighed. Trust it to Peter to get nervous when it wasn't even _his _wedding. Upon seeing that it was indeed Remus and Remus alone in the room, Peter inched inside and closed the door behind him. He seemed almost as pale as Remus was himself and also as though he was about to loose his lunch into anything that was convenient.

"What is it, Peter?" Remus asked. His friend certainly did look dreadful. Especially considering he was wearing ratty jeans and an old sweatshirt… Jeans and a sweatshirt? "You do realize the ceremony is going to start any minute now, don't you? Why aren't you dressed?" Peter bit his lip and nodded slowly before holding up something he'd been hiding behind his back. Remus could only groan.

It was a neatly pressed tuxedo- pants, jacket, shirt, cumber bun, and bow-tie- in traditional black. Except for the fact that it was almost completely covered in mud. 

Remus sighed, "What happened?"

"I w-was late and, and so I was running, and you know I've never been very good at running, a-and I wasn't changed yet so I was going to come in here, and I tripped and I sort of… dropped it in a mud puddle."

Remus nodded. A large dose of April showers the day before had left the grass around Mr. and Mrs. Potter's house moist and slippery, and most importantly littered with milky brown puddles. 

"Well, why haven't you cleaned it off yet? Haven't you got your wand?" Again, Peter looked as if he would be ill. 

"Do you remember," he asked, "T-that summer after fifth year w-when it rained a lot?" he bit his lip as his friend grew thoughtful.

Of course, Remus could remember it well. He and his friends had all grown closer, if it was possible, that school year due largely to birth of Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. James had invited him, Sirius, and Peter to stay for the better part of the summer. (Of course, it was after this that Sirius decided he liked life with the Potters much better then that with the Blacks.) At any rate, it had thunder stormed almost every day they were there. His eyes misted over as he recalled them sitting on the large front porch, watching the puddles fill up.

_"Wouldn't it be neat," said sixteen year old Sirius, staring at the lawn intently. "If you could make a puddle that lasted even when it wasn't raining. Or even better- mud that didn't wash off no matter what you did!"_

_His three companions cracked up, imagining James' grouchy neighbor Mr. Bullhorn 'accidentally' slipping into such a puddle._

_"I don't suppose that's possible… do you think?" wondered Remus._

_"Well, my dad has a lot of old books and there isn't much else to do…" James shrugged. The four looked at each other before jumping up and running into the house laughing._

Remus' eyes widened as he realized what Peter was getting at. "You didn't."

He only nodded. Remus looked frantically at his watch and exclaimed, "But the ceremony starts in five minutes! We're nearly late as it is, and you _can't _go dressed like that!"

"I know!" Peter moaned, "James is gonna _kill _me…"

"All right, all right. Let's stay calm." Remus looked around the room, searching for an idea. _Any _idea. His eyes skipped over the trundle bed, the ratty Gryffindor flag that still hung over it, the old butterbeer bottles and candy wrappers that still littered the floor from its previous occupant, and fell upon two closed wooden doors- the closet. No doubt Sirius, unorganized as he was, would have left _some _clothes behind.

"I think I have an idea…" He told Peter slowly. If possible, Peter looked even paler.

~*~

Though a familiar grin lighted his face, Lily could tell from his eyes that James was some-what disappointed. 

"Where are they?" He'd said to her through his teeth after getting over how beautiful she looked in the simple white gown with flowers embroidered at the bottom.

"I don't know." She'd replied in the same manner, casting a wary eye over the crowded church where certainly half the Wizarding world watched happily (in some cases tearfully). She caught Sirius's eye and he only shrugged. And so, the ceremony continued despite the two empty seats in the front pew. 

James knew he shouldn't feel the way he did. After all, he knew how Remus got on full-moon days and had told him that he could skip out if he had too. His friend had seemed shocked and appalled at the very thought, and told him so readily. This left him unexplained and Peter was just a complete mystery. However, as the ceremony continued and the priest babbled on and on something he just couldn't seem to concentrate on, his mind drifted away from his missing friends and rested on the red-haired vision before him. It was clear she had similar feelings, although she was always better at paying attention that he was.

However, in the back of his mind he thought that they would come in at some point, go the long way around to get to their seats, trying to act inconspicuous. Then they'd smile apologetically and he'd grin in response to tell them it was all right. However, they never showed. 

Finally, after exchanging vows and rings and leaving most of those present teary-eyed (Hagrid, sitting in the back so as not to obstruct anyone's view, blew his nose loudly on a new white handkerchief he'd bought for the occasion) the final moment came. Both he and his bride were grinning, and a great feeling of wholeness and elation swelled up from his toes to his throat. The priest said the usual "You may now kiss the bride" and the happy new couple leaned in to do just that when—

CRASH.

The doors flung open and an extremely out of breath Peter and Remus dashed directly down the center aisle and sat down in their seats huffing and puffing. They were too distracted by their current incapacitated state to even look up at Lily and James, both of whom were completely startled. Actually, everyone was staring with wide-eyes at the late comers. Not only had they destroyed the last, most romantic and meaningful moment of the wedding but…

"Peter," Sirius said with dancing eyes, breaking the silence, "_What are you wearing?_"

Everyone stood up from their seats to see. 

For lo and behold, Peter wore a very _very _purple zoot suit with lavender pinstripes on the pants and vest. Both the sleeves of the jacket and legs of the pants were too long and had been rolled up several times. The bulky shoulders looked ridiculous on the tiny young man. The only traditional item was the bowtie, which was black except for one brown smudge on the side. 

The room was entirely silent as Peter sunk lower and lower in his seat, face flushed with utter embarrassment. Both Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Potter looked as if they would start crying again. 

But finally, a single noise was heard. It was a short "aheh" sort of sound. It happened again and again, and onlookers finally tore their eyes away from Peter to look towards the back where the noise had come from. It was soon discovered that it had been made by none other than Albus Dumbledore, who sat in the back next to Hagrid. Finally the "ahehs" turned into full-out laughter which rang out through the large sanctuary and shattered the silence completely. Quickly, more "ahehs" were heard throughout the congregation and soon everyone was laughing to the point of hysterics. Remus joined in happily, and even Peter offered a few chuckles.

"I remember that outfit!" Sirius cried at some point, causing everyone to laugh harder. 

Well, almost everyone. Though surrounded by insane and uncontrollable sound, Lily and James didn't appear to notice that anything was wrong. Having discerned that their missing friends had arrived, the two had quickly forgotten everything that wasn't each other.

"You know," Dumbledore said to a giddy Minerva McGonagall, "I've really always hated weddings. Dreadfully boring, if you ask me. Now this," he stretched his arms around in a gesture of the ridiculous group. "This is what all weddings should be like."

With that, he pulled a rather large camera from beneath his seat and strode to a front. There he took a picture of the bride and groom who were the perfect example of bliss. In the back round, the best man laughed and laughed.

Post A/N: They should make fluff an official genre. Review whether you love me or not. *pout*


End file.
